Online Shopping Trends

In 2019, retail shopping has become less common to buyers. Online shopping accounts for 10% off sales and more and more people are buying online! Don’t get me wrong there are people who still prefer shopping through retail locations, but millennials from ages 22-37 are driving sales online.

30% of consumers would purchase through Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter or Snapchat. Facebook is primarily used for businesses to promote and expand their audience. In 2015, Facebook had 157.1 million users. For small businesses, promoting your brand through social media is necessary to stay cpmpetitive and connect with your consumers.

Influencers are promoting brands and products everyday through social media. There are hundreds of Instagram bloggers located around the world that are household names to consumers. Men and women share their fashion, lifestyles, home furnishings and accessories through social media and other apps.

“An influencer is an individual who has the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of his/her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his/her audience,” (Influencer Marketing Club).

Online shopping allows buyers to avoid the lines, the wait and dealing with the public. You know how it is. There’s always that one person who is unhappy with everything and shouts loudly at the checkout counter.

As of 2016, 79% of Americans shopped online. At the time only 15% were shopping directly through social media accounts. Social media is a great way to hear about new products and promotions. Though the figures of shopping directly through social media have not increased substantially, there was 6.5 billion earned in 2017 from social shopping.

Another method for buyers to shop online is through the LikeToKnow.It app. This features a one stop shopping site for buyers to shop directly through their screenshots. It is very popular for Instagram influencers to link their favorite products to this app for followers to shop from the ease of their phones.

Starting this year, Instagram offered checkout for buyers to purchase through businesses without leaving the app. 54% of millennials use social platforms to research products before they buy. Social media is a great place to get ideas for fashion and home furnishings.

Celebrities are using social media as well to advertise their own companies and other brands. Kylie Jenner demonstrates using her own makeup line in videos on social media and Instagram to promote her company, Kylie Cosmetics.

Online shopping trends in 2019 are going to continue to grow. There are currently 348 million social media users and the numbers are climbing each week. There are new bloggers and social media influencers that are popping up everyday to share new fashion trends and shopping deals.